Father and son team carried out spate of burglaries in Dublin

A father and son team from Wexford have been released from jail after being sentenced to time already served for carrying out a spate of burglaries in south county Dublin.

Marcin Jakubiec (33) and his father Boguslaw Jakubiec (55) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the offences committed between June 24, 2011 and April 22, 2013.

Marcin carried out a dozen burglaries, while his father, who acted as the driver, admitted involvement in three offences. Both men have an address at Carcur Cottages, Wexford Town.

The court heard that the pair would break into empty homes mid-morning, stealing a range of items including jewellery, laptops, cameras and mountain and racing bikes, and go straight to the Ilac Centre on Moore Street where they would sell it all for cash.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed five years on Marcin and three years on Boguslaw, backdated to when they entered custody in May 2013. She suspended the balance of the sentences and ordered that both men work with the Probation Service for a period of 12 months. She said that both men had done impressive charity work while in custody.

Father-of-one Marcin told gardaí his nickname was the 'Black Bag Man' due to the distinctive black bag in which he put stolen property. Very little of the stolen items were recovered.

'It's like two different lives. I take stuff, go sell the stuff, then go back to my family and try to forget about it. I do it for the money but also for the buzz. I'm addicted to adrenaline. I feel very guilty about it,' he told gardaí after one arrest.

Boguslaw has 18 previous convictions, including three for burglary. His son has 38 previous convictions, all for road traffic offences.

Pieter Le Vert BL, defending Marcin said his client is a qualified stonemason, mechanic and metal worker who also served a year in Poland in the armed forces. He worked a number of jobs in Ireland before setting up a garage and car valeting business in Wexford with his father, which went under when the economy turned. He began using cocaine in 2007 and developed a habit and a drug debt.